LAHORE, March 7: The Lahore PPP executive committee, strongly condemning ruling PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain's statement, said here on Monday that Mr Asif Ali Zardari would lead a rally on his arrival in the city on April 16.

They said when the ruling party was organizing rallies, the PPP could not be stopped from doing the same. Haji Azizur Rehman Chan presided over the meeting which was attended among others by Malik Mushtaq Awan, Aslam Gill, Sharif Husain Bukhari, Aurangzeb Burki, Azma Bukhari, Faiza Malik, Sajida Mir and Dr Ziaullah Bangash. The meeting resolved to continue the struggle for democracy.

Meanwhile, ARD deputy information secretary Munir Ahmed Khan said in a statement that the government was left with no justification to stay in power any more after the Supreme Court's verdict on federal minister Faisal Saleh Hayat's petition. He said there was also no moral justification for the government to keep the NAB in operation.